Final answer:
The second step to checking air brakes is to calculate the stopping distance after applying the brakes. It involves measuring the travel distance from the point brakes are engaged to a full stop.
Step-by-step explanation:
The second step to checking the air brakes involves calculating the distance that a vehicle, such as a truck or a commercial airplane, travels after the brakes are applied until it comes to a complete stop. This can be part of a sequence of procedures to test the braking system's effectiveness and safety. In a typical brake test, one might first bring the vehicle up to a certain speed, and then upon applying the brakes, measure the time, and calculate the stopping distance from there.
Additionally, an assessment of the heat generated by the friction in the brakes is often conducted, as this is critical to ensuring brake functionality under strenuous conditions.
In the case of an airplane, the scenario would involve bringing the aircraft up to takeoff speed and then stopping it using the brakes alone. This test is designed to ensure that the brakes can handle the conversion of kinetic energy into thermal energy without causing a fire or other safety hazards. In such a scenario, it would also be necessary to analyze the temperature increase of the brakes which can be done by comparing the kinetic energy of the plane before braking to the thermal energy after the plane has stopped, accounting for the fact that the brakes can become extremely hot, sometimes even smoking, as evidenced by the mechanical equivalent of heat.